Checkers

Checkers discovered in the ruins of Ancient City

It is thought that the earliest form of checkers was discovered in an archeological dig at Ur in Iraq. It shows that this game was played at around 3000 BC. The game had used a slightly different board and a different number of pieces, and no one is sure of the exact rules that were used. Checkers has been around since 1400 BC and in Ancient Egypt it was called Alquerque, and was played on a 5 X 5 board. A french-man at around 1100 came up with the idea to play checkers on a chess board where there were 12 pieces used on each side. It was then called "Fierges" or "Ferses", where making jumps mandatory create more of a challenge and this version was called "Jeu Force". Later this game was transported to England and was called "Draughts".

Checkers is a game played on a board that is made up of squares and is laid out with eight columns and eight rows. Each player receives twelve flat disc-like pieces which are placed on black squares. The darker colored pieces are usually designated black and the lighter colored pieces designated white. Black always moves first.

The object of the game is to eliminate all opposing checkers or to create a situation which makes it impossible for your opponent to make any move at all, where the victory will be due to complete elimination. All pieces may only move forward and there are two types of moves: capturing moves and non-capturing moves. Non-capturing moves are diagonal moves from one square to an adjacent square. Capturing moves occur when a player jumps on an opposing piece and is done on a diagonal, and may make multiple jumps.

When checkers reach the opponents edge of the board, also called the king's row, it is crowned with another checker, and has the ability to move backwards, and can jump in either direction.

Check out USAopoly in our Board Games Buyer's Guide section to find a great selection of different style checkers and chess sets. The selection includes:

Coca Cola Checkers: includes 24 hand-sculpted and painted bottle caps.

Lord of the Rings Checkers: includes 24 hand-sculpted ring pieces engraved with Elven inscription.

Nascar Checkers: includes 24 hand-sculpted and painted racing tires.

Shrek Checkers: includes pieces illustrated with popular Shrek characters.

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About The Author:

David Sacco is a successful author and publisher of http://www.a1-in-toys.com. A great source of toys for children of all ages, from that early child to teens and hobbyists.